WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



311 



shingles. Mr. Robinson states that 13 cords of "bolts" were cut 

 from a single poplar tree. 



Most of the white pine was cut into timbers 6 by 12 inches 

 in thickness and from 25 to 60 feet in length to be used as gun- 

 wales for coal barges built at New Martinsville and other points. 



At present there are several large circular saw mill opera- 

 tions along the Short Line railroad and several smaller ones in 

 other sections of the county. Of these the principal ones are 

 Paulhamus & Moon, with a mill at Bane station, cutting from 

 a tract on Arches Fork and head of Buffalo Fork of Fishing 

 creek; Federal Lumber Company, of Jacksonburg, cutting from 

 the John Mills tract on Buffalo run and Piney Fork with 5 cir- 

 cular mills; J. M. Hastings Lumber Company, of Jacksonburg, 

 cutting from lands lying to the north and east of Jacksonburg. 

 It is probable that the companies named will all have completed 

 their operations here within a year after the publication of 

 this report, and at least one of them, before that time. 



The Present Forest Conditions. 



There are about 2,000 acres of virgin forest remaining in 

 the southern end of the county. The timbers on these forest 

 lands are yellow poplar, white oak, chestnut oak. red oak, and 

 others of less value. The cut-over forests contain about 12,800 

 acres and lie also tow^ard the southern end. The largest tracts 

 are situated between the southern line of the county and Fish- 

 ing creek, above the mouth of Piney Fork. 



Magnolia, Proctor, Center, and Church districts contain 

 the best agricultural land; and Proctor and Center, in particu- 

 lar, contain areas of considerable extent that are fairly smooth. 

 Clay district, in the northeastern corner, is not as ^^11 improved 

 as those named above. Grant and Greene districts, in the south- 

 ern end, are chiefly rough, non-agricultural areas although per- 

 haps 30 per cent of the land has been cleared. 



Taken as a whole, about 60 per cent of the county has been 

 cleared. Since the development of an extensive oil and gas 

 industry, however, many farms have been neglected and have 

 become overgrown with brush and briers. 



